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Three added to board-certified teacher list

Three District 51 teachers were added to the list of National Board Certified educators this year, bringing the district’s tally to 27.

National Board Certification is a credential that complements a teaching license. Teachers submit a portfolio and take an assessment with six essays to earn the certification and are graded by certified teachers.

Teachers must demonstrate knowledge in the subject they teach and submit evidence that they are good at teaching that subject matter and managing student progress in order to earn certification.

The three local teachers who earned certification this year are Lisa Crabtree and Maria Deuel, both of Central High School, and Lori Holloway of Redlands Middle School.

Crabtree earned her certification in social studies/history, Deuel’s certification is in science, and Holloway is certified in literacy.

Holloway said she began the certification process in August 2010 and finished in March. She said the process was tough, but worthwhile.

“I saw it as a challenge,” she said. “I wanted to be the best teacher I could possibly be. I saw it as a way to grow as an educator.”

Crabtree said certification seemed like a natural next step in her professional development after she finished her master’s in 2009.

“It was a huge growing experience for me and I really learned a great deal about myself, which is so valuable in this profession,” she said in an email.

About half of the teachers who attempt certification pass the essay assessment. Deuel said she was excited to pass and hopes certification has grown her teaching skills.

“The process was more challenging than I ever imagined,” she said via email.

National Board Certification lasts for 10 years and can be renewed.

There are 97,291 board-certified teachers nationwide and 6,266 names were added to the list this year. Colorado ranks 25th among states with the highest tallies of teachers who have earned certification, with 641 board-certified teachers. Colorado added 93 board-certified teachers this year.

District 51 ranks fifth in Colorado for the highest number of teachers who earned their current board certification while teaching in the district: 43. There are 27 board-certified teachers left in the district at 16 schools and at the Basil T. Knight Center.